Original 19th Century J & E Stevens Artillery Bank.

A genuine 19th century cast iron mechanical Artillery money bank. These were made by J & E Stevens around the time of the American civil war, and they stayed in production until the end of the century. It is wonderful condition with original paint and in good working order, the bottom has a little rust and the plug on the bottom that holds the coins in, is missing, this part was made from tin, so were easily damaged or broken.
There are a lot of reproductions of these, but if you search the web, you can see the obvious differences and quality. In short, the firing button is round, not square, all screws have handmade threads. Inside the tower there is a plate for the coin to hit; this was a buffer to stop the coin striking the back of the tower. These banks were made from quite poor-quality cast iron which was very brittle and would crack or brake with a sharp strike. There is no purpose made rust or wear to the surface, just a little to the bottom where it has been sitting on a damp surface.
It measures 8 inches long x 5 inches wide x 5.75 inches high, and it is heavy.

Code: 30436